1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to heavier-than-air aircraft in which the lift is produced on the body of the aircraft by a free vortex and in particular to such an aircraft having a centrally mounted engine which produces both the forward thrust for the aircraft and intensifies the lift producing free vortex. More particularly, the invention relates to an aircraft in which a free vortex is produced to provide the lift for takeoffs and landings, and in which the free vortex is eliminated during normal flight to permit the speed of the aircraft to be substantially increased.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are numerous types and styles of aircraft produced using conventional propeller-driven and jet engine-driven designs in which the lift is produced on the wings of the aircraft by the movements of the air currents. There alos are various constructions of wingless aircraft, usually having a saucer-like disc shape in which air currents rotate an annular member or are deflected through an open bottom to provide lift for the disc. Likewise, there are other styles of aircraft known as ground effect machines in which a cushion of air is provided beneath the craft to support the craft a short distance above the ground for movement therealong.
Many of the problems associated with these types of aircraft are described in and are eliminated by the free vortex aircraft construction described in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,934,844. Although the free vortex construction of this patent eliminates many of the problems, certain limitations exist. The use of a pair of spaced thruster and vortex pumping engines, if not fully synchronized, may produce an unbalance or yaw effect on the aircraft increasing the problems of maintaining its stability. Likewise, the use of two or more engines to produce and maintain the free vortex and to provide the forward thrust increases the cost of the aircraft in contrast to the use of a single engine which can provide both functions and achieve the same results.
Although the generation of the lift producing free vortex is highly desirable for takeoffs and landings, the vortex decreases considerably the cruising or flight speed of the aircraft. If too great a speed is reached by the aircraft, the vortex will "blow away", eliminating most of the lift being produced on the body of the aircraft, seriously affecting its airborn ability. Furthermore, the vortex producing thrust and pumping engines will continually attempt to create new lifting vortexes in the vortex producing region of the aircraft frame which are continuously "blown away", producing a serious drag on the aircraft.
Thus, the need has existed for an aircraft construction which produces a free vortex to provide the necessary lift for takeoffs and landings which reduces the runway length required and increases the safety of the aircraft, and which permits elimination of the vortex once the aircraft is in flight thereby increasing the flight speed, and which requires only a single engine for producing both the thrust and free vortex pumping action.